AZUGA

Azuga is a short drive / train-ride (in our case) from Bucharest, and this makes it an ideal weekend getaway destination. We went there last weekend and generally loved it.

Arriving there noon-ish on Saturday, it's eery how quiet the place is. Walking for about 2 km, I encountered about 3 people and no more than 2 restaurants. Weird, particularly when compared to the bustle of other mountain resorts in the area. For example, 10-minute-drive-away Sinaia has traffic jams and full restaurants and shockingly many Porche Cayennes parked on sidewalks.

There are no street signs and no way to know the names of streets or the house numbers. Using a gps to find your accomodations is strongly recommended.

The place we stayed at, Vila Casa Alba was great though. The decor was lovely, the view was, wonderful, and it was steps away from the slopes. Strongly recommended. The one negative point was the lack of a restaurant. There was a well-equiped kitchen provided for guest use, but who really wants to cook on vacation?!

Now, for attractions and fun things to see and do, Azuga is severely lacking. There's the gorgeous view to take in and photograph. There are 3 ski slopes to enjoy (all easy ones). There are a couple restaurants, all rustic ones, from what we could tell. There's a wine cellar where you're likely to get no service (read below). There are no shopping opportunities. There is no coffee shop that I was able to locate.

If you're into peace and quiet and restful weekends away and beautiful scenery, Azuga might be a good place for you.

Whatever you do, though, do not arrive at the train station too early for your train. It is not heated and, at the time of our visit, the door didn't close properly. Brrr.